Just don’t expect him to try to outduel Manning.

The Bears would like to get WRs Muhsin Muhammad (87) and Bernard Berrian (80) matched one-on-one with Colts CBs Jason David (42) and Nick Harper (25). Muhammad goes 6-foot-2 and Berrian is 6-1, while Harper is 5-10 and David 5-8. The size edge could become significant, but the Colts have the improving Marlin Jackson (28), a 6-footer and a ballhawk, to offset any Chicago advantage.

And size hardly matters when it comes to safety Bob Sanders (21), the 5-8, 206-pound dynamo whose return to the lineup has sparked a reversal in fortune for the defense. With Sanders, the Colts will play eight men up and dare the Bears to throw on early downs, particularly first down.

The Colts have seven postseason sacks, and Dwight Freeney (93) is, by far, their most dangerous pass rusher. FB Jason McKie (37) could get a heavy dose of Freeney in pass protection and also must watch for blitzes from the secondary.

SPECIAL TEAMS

This could be a decisive area because the Colts are vulnerable and the Bears have record-setting rookie returner Devin Hester (23).

Hester ran back six kicks for touchdowns during the season, but he’s also had the drops. So he could be a factor in a positive or negative manner for Chicago.

The Bears also have excelled on coverages, so don’t look for Terrence Wilkins (10) to break a long one.

Of course, no team is struggling with its kick teams when it has Adam Vinatieri (4) handling placements. Vinatieri is merely the best pressure kicker in the game, and he’s already won two of these things with last-minute field goals.

Not that his Bears counterpart, Robbie Gould, is a slouch. Gould, an All-Pro, made 32 of 36 field goals, and in the postseason he beat the Seahawks with a 49-yarder in overtime. You can’t get much more clutch than that.

Both punters, Hunter Smith (17) of Indianapolis and Brad Maynard (4) of Chicago, are steady. Smith won’t want to get the ball anywhere in Hester’s vicinity.

COACHING

The most discussed angle of this Super Bowl is the first black head coaches in the game’s history. Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy also happen to be among the most liked and most genial coaches in pro football — or any sport.

Smith, the 2005 Coach of the Year, is a protege of Dungy, who gave him his first NFL job at Tampa Bay. He’s built a stout if not monstrous defense, and he isn’t as conservative offensively as some defense-oriented coaches.

Dungy already had a Super Bowl team, sort of. He helped put together the Buccaneers who won the championship in the 2003 game, one year after Dungy was replaced by Jon Gruden.